


Love is in the Air (wear a gas mask)

by punk_rock_yuppie



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Canon Asexual Character, Fluff, M/M, Nothing but fluff seriously, getting together fic, valentines fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-05
Updated: 2017-02-05
Packaged: 2018-09-22 06:56:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,792
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9589736
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/punk_rock_yuppie/pseuds/punk_rock_yuppie
Summary: Fourteen days.Fourteen valentines.





	

**Author's Note:**

> written for birdstan on tumblr, who prompted "since it's february... valentine's day!" this was a lot of fun to write!! it's so fluffy, it gave me toothaches.
> 
> this is also dedicated to my friend taylor, bc their bday is valentines day and i'm slowing roping them into shipping jarchie. 
> 
> anywho, hope you like it!

**_Wednesday_ **

It starts, as most mornings do, with a small construction paper heart taped to his locker.

No one is hanging around his locker, which isn’t unusual, but given the little valentine left for him—well, it seems a little suspicious. Cautiously and maybe a bit overdramatic, Jughead steps up to his locker and plucks the heart from the door. He unfolds it, unsurprised and a little annoyed to see the note inside is typed rather than handwritten.

_You’re the coolest person south of the North Pole._

He can feel his lips twist in some expression caught between amusement and disbelief. He looks around once more, and once he’s sure the coast is still clear he tucks the valentine away inside his locker. He shakes his head, laughing to himself, and promptly forgets all about it for the next twenty-four hours.

 

****

**_Thursday_ **

He forgets about it right up until he sits down the next day in first period, and there’s another heart taped to his desk. This one is red and coated in a sheen of messy glitter. All eyes are on him as he unfolds this one too, though he hunches over it so no one else can see what’s inside.

_There are 21 letters in the alphabet, right?_

Below that, a hastily scrawled message of _‘turn me over!’_ Against his better judgement, Jughead does—the end of the pick-up line is no better than the start. If anything, it’s worse.

_Oh wait, I forgot U R A Q T!_

He stifles a groan and spends the entirety of class slumped over his desk, resolutely ignoring his peers.

 

 

**_Friday_ **

Despite the small bit of handwriting on the card from the day before, Jughead can’t quite place the unique curl of the letters. It doesn’t help that today his valentine is yet again typed up, neat and indistinguishable. It’s stuck to his locker, but instead of a heart it’s a bright yellow smiley face—like a Walmart logo or something. Scoffing, he peels it off the locker with a little more force than necessary and ignores the twinge of guilt when the tape pulls off some of the color from the smiley face.

_If you were a booger, I’d pick you first._

Jughead opens his mouth, but can’t find the words. He stays stock still, shocked, until Betty pipes up beside him.

“Aw, that’s cute!”

“It’s ridiculous,” he disagrees, shoving the valentine inside his locker with the other two before hurrying to class.

 

 

**_Saturday_ **

He gets up for _one damn minute_ to go grab an extra order of fries, and comes back to another valentine on his plate. They’re at the mall, is he being _stalked?_ He looks at his friends, but they’re all broadcasting doe-eyed innocence, as though they suddenly went blind to whoever it is leaving these things around. Just to be a dick, he contemplates ignoring it and digging into his food… he gets as far as two handfuls of fries before the curiosity gets the better of him.

It’s green and oblong, with painstaking detail put into it and reminds Jughead of kindergarten. He’s not entirely sure, but he’s thinking it might be a vegetable of some sort. Opening it sheds light on the card itself, but that’s about it.

_If you were a vegetable, you’d be a CUTEcumber!_

He sets it aside without commenting. He resumes eating and pretends like nothing happened, even as all his friends stare at him expectantly.

 

 

**_Sunday_ **

“Jughead, this was on the porch for you this morning.”

He glares at his plate of pancakes. It’s Sunday, will he ever get a break? He’s in his pajamas, he’s not even really _awake_ yet. Despite his inner turmoil, his mom brings the valentine by with a sweet smile.

“It’s pretty cute,” she admits with an affectionate pat on his shoulder. “A secret admirer?”

“A secret menace,” he corrects while opening the valentine.

_You must be a salad, because I have no desire to eat you._

He can feel the beginning of a blush burning at his cheeks. He looks up at his mom. “You think this is cute?” He asks, not at all hysterical even when his voice threatens to crack.

The look his mom gives him is all-knowing and sharp. “Really, Jughead?”

He sets the card aside and eats the rest of his breakfast in silence.

 

 

**_Monday_ **

“Jug, you okay?” Archie knocks their shoulders together as they walk.

“I’m…” One look at the redhead’s freckled face and Jughead knows he can’t bother lying. He sighs. “I don’t know. I’ve been getting these valentines, and…” He shrugs.

“Do you like them?”

Jughead shoots his friend an unimpressed scowl. “I—well, I don’t _hate_ them.” He shoves his hands deeper in his pockets. “They’re corny as hell, it’s ridiculous.”

“Do they make you uncomfortable?”

Jughead shrugs again. “Not really? I don’t know. I haven’t had to deal with this kind of thing since elementary school.” He thinks to the one from the day before. “Yesterday’s was kind of alright, though.”

“Yeah?”

He nods. “It, uh. I dunno, kind of seemed like they wanted to respect, well, me.” He gestures to himself. “You know.”

Archie nods eagerly. “That’s great, man, that’s really good.”

They take the steps of the school two at a time and Jughead isn’t surprised in the least when there’s another valentine taped to his locker—this one red again, but at least it’s anatomically correct. He shoots Archie a _‘look what I have to deal with’_ stare before flicking the present open.

_Are you kryptonite, cuz you’re making me weak!_

He holds out the valentine to Archie after speeding through it. “See? So corny.”

“You like corny, though.”

Jughead punches Archie in the shoulder just hard enough to have him stumble. He snatches the valentine back, too. “Whatever.”

 

 

**_Tuesday_ **

Jughead had spent the whole night prior pouring over the latest Valentine, only to wake up Tuesday morning painfully aware of who’s behind the whole scheme. He even gets up early, shoves himself into whatever clothes he can find, and sits himself on Archie’s porch until Fred comes out and invites him inside for eggs and bacon.

He’s sitting at the table when Archie comes down, put together and ready for school and _holding anther valentine_. Much to Jughead’s displeasure, Archie doesn’t look remotely surprised to see him. No, Archie is prepared, locked and loaded and looking sheepish as he hands over another card.

Still handmade out of construction paper, with Archie’s careful chicken-scratch on the inside.

_Are you my appendix?_

Jughead looks up, stops reading right there and looks up—only for Archie to gesture for him to continue.

_Because I don’t know what you do, but you’re giving me a funny feeling in my stomach and I think I need to take you out._

Jughead is thankful Fred slipped out at some point between Archie coming down and Jughead reading the card. The blush on his face would feel even worse if a parent were around to witness this. He looks up at Archie again and when words fail him, he just waves the card around.

Archie beams. “There’s more where that came from,” is what he says instead of explaining himself.

 

 

**_Wednesday_ **

Jughead has a hard time believing this whole nonsense started only a week ago. It feels like so much longer, as though he’s been getting these cornball valentines for ages. (Which, maybe he kind of has—maybe he’s been getting things like this for as long as he’s known Archie, they’ve just never really acknowledged it.) He shakes off the thought and just sets his mind on focusing in class and not being _excited_ for the next one, or something just as silly.

When he makes it through almost the entire day without getting one, he maybe starts to worry. He’s hardly seen Archie at all, and that only makes him worry more.

During his free period, he gets up long enough to print off some research articles and comes back to a simple white card taped to his laptop.

_Your mouth would look amazing eating popcorn at the movies._

In spite of himself, he laughs. It bursts out of him suddenly and he smothers it with his hand. He thumbs across Archie’s handwriting with an affectionate eyeroll.

 

 

**_Thursday_ **

Archie meets him at his locker after lunch, grinning wide and face a fading pink. He holds out the valentine proudly, and Jughead tries not to feel everyone’s stares on them as he takes it. He tries to shoot Archie a dirty look, but fails when Archie just keeps on smiling.

Jughead side-eyes Archie the whole time he unfolds the soft pink, cloud-shaped thing, and looks away only to finally read what’s written inside.

_You look familiar, have we had a class together? I could’ve sworn we had chemistry._

Jughead bites the inside of his cheek to keep from grinning. He stares at the card until Archie begins to fidget nervously, and only when the blush is back on the redhead’s cheeks in full force, only then does Jughead speak.

“Dude, I _tutored_ you in chemistry.” Jughead can’t entirely keep the grin off his face, but his words don’t waver with the mirth threatening to bubble up.

Archie huffs a small laugh, replies “yeah, you did,” but looks no less pleased with himself.

 

 

**_Friday_ **

He waits, a touch impatient, all day.

But nothing happens.

Nothing taped to his locker in the morning, and nothing there between classes. Nothing at his desks or on his seats, not even left on his lunch tray. The whole school day goes by without another valentine, and Jughead wonders if Archie forgot or if he’s just run out of pick-up lines

The thought is remarkably disappointing, Jughead realizes.

He’s about to set off toward home when Archie, sweaty and roughed up, comes barreling over. He’s out of breath and his words are barely audible as he tries to catch his breath. He’s still in his gear, sans helmet.

“Don’t you have practice?” Jughead asks with a glance over Archie’s shoulder toward the football field.

“You busy this weekend?”

Jughead narrows his eyes. “I refuse to answer that.”

Archie waves flippantly at the dismissal. “Here,” he says after he’s got air back in his lungs. “Read it,” he says like Jughead planned to do anything else.

Suspicious as he was the day this all stated, Jughead takes the valentine—smaller and far less put-together than the others so far.

_Are you hungry? Come to my place and we can Netflix & chili._

When Jughead looks up, Archie is still out of breath with his chest still heaving, but he’s got a gleam in his eyes that’s too bright to ignore.

“You better have cornbread, too,” Jughead demands.

“What do you take me for, a Neanderthal?” Archie retorts. “Tonight, then. Eight or so? Practice might run late.”

Jughead swallows the nerves that start and nods instead. “Sure, sounds good. See you then.”

Archie grins, then hesitates. He looks, well, confused. Or like he’s contemplating something. In the end, he flashes Jughead a thumbs-up and takes off back toward the field.

 

 

**_Saturday_ **

Jughead wakes up with the valentine taped to his head, and the sound of Archie a room over, showering.

Groaning and rubbing the sleepiness from his eyes, he peels the tape off his forehead with only a small flinch. He looks toward the slightly open bedroom door and wonders if he should wait for Archie to get back…

Ten minutes go by, and Jughead is tired of waiting.

_Are you a firework? Because you’re stunningly beautiful and I don’t want you anywhere near my genitals._

He’s still laughing, red in the cheeks and breathless, when Archie comes back in fresh pajamas.

He comes up for air when the laughter finally starts to subside, and realizes Archie is sitting beside him.

“I take it that’s a winner, then?” He asks.

A few stray giggles slip from Jughead’s mouth. “Not bad, Andrews, not bad,” is his reply.

 

 

**_Sunday_ **

Despite having left Archie’s late Saturday night, Jughead isn’t startled by the valentine taped to the outside of his bedroom window Sunday morning. He opens his window enough to maneuver his arm around and pluck it off the pane, and doesn’t bother trying to stamp out the giddiness rising in his stomach as he unfolds the card.

_We should grow a garden together, so our two-lips can touch._

Jughead instinctively reaches for his own mouth, taps his lower lip with wide eyes. He looks around, as though Archie is going to pop out at any moment (and okay, no matter how close they are, _that_ would be way too weird). Panic doesn’t start like he thought it might, not even a low-level burn. Instead, the giddiness only increases and his heart races a little faster.

He scrambles for his phone and shoots off a text before he can think better of it.

**To Anchovie**  
_9:47am  
__i've never kissed anyone_

**To Anchovie**  
_9:50am  
__anything that happened in elementary school doesn’t count_

 

**From Anchovie**  
_9:57am  
__we don’t have to, not if you don’t want to_

Jughead’s chest burns and his next breath catches in his throat. He barely looks at his phone as he shoots off the next message.

**To Anchovie**  
_10:00am  
__i never said that_

 

 

**_Monday_ **

Monday is stilted, awkward, and Jughead hates it but is also intrigued by it. Nothing fundamental has really changed, no more than when he first realized it was Archie sending the valentines. Just because he’s probably okay with kissing his best friend doesn’t mean the world has shifted on its axis…

Right?

Don’t ask Jughead, he couldn’t tell you.

Archie waits until they’re in line to get lunch to hand over the penultimate valentine. It passes between their hands, and feels illicit and when their fingers brush it sparks like electricity. Jughead startles but doesn’t retract his hand until he’s got a good grip on the slip of paper.

He doesn’t read it until they’re sitting at the table, until all their friends are thoroughly absorbed in food and conversations.

_Are you the internet? Because I want to spend all day with you in my room (cuddling), and then finally go out to a public place but only pay attention to you._

When Jughead looks up, Archie is watching him with a gaze that’s nervous but unwavering. Jughead looks away with a smile of his own and tucks the valentine into his jacket pocket. He shakes his head with a laugh and tries to communicate silently with Archie from across the table.

 

 

**_Tuesday_ **

“This better be good, Archie Andrews, this is the grand finale.” Despite his teasing, Jughead is practically vibrating with anticipation. He’s crossed his arms over his chest as though to contain his interest, not that it fools Archie one bit. “And don’t think you can get away with half-assed gestures after this, the romance better not be dead.”

Archie shoves at him playfully. “Just take it,” he says.

Jughead does, and then makes a show of examining it. “A shoe?” He asks—because that’s what it is. The valentine is shaped like a classic high top converse sneaker. It’s all black, with white laces, and instead of the traditional all-star logo at the angle, it’s a heart. “This is,” Jughead stops to laugh. “Arch, really?”

“C’mon,” Archie pleads. “Don’t start throwing this back in my face now.”

Jughead gulps and nods. “Sorry, nerves.”

He slides his finger along the edge and flips it open, fourteenth day in a row. He hesitates in reading it and looks back at Archie instead.

“We’re really doing this?” He asks softly.

“If you want.” Archie agrees readily. “If you don’t, then we won’t.” Archie starts to reach out but pauses. “I really want to date you, Jughead, but I want to be your friend more.” He shifts from foot to foot uneasily. “Read the card?” He asks.

Jughead almost keeps talking; there’s so much to talk about, especially if they want to first and foremost stay best friends. He almost barrels on and lets all his concerns out in a flurry of word vomit, almost calls the whole thing off because the last thing he wants is to screw this up. He also almost leans in and just plants one on Archie, but he figures that’d be more disastrous than helpful at this point.

So, Jughead nods again.

_Can I tie your shoes? I don’t want you falling for anyone else._

Jughead closes his eyes and breathes deep. He keeps the laughter at bay long enough to level Archie with a heavy, serious gaze. He clears his throat and makes sure their eyes are locked before announcing—

“I’m dating a complete _nerd_.”

**Author's Note:**

> still taking one word/simple prompts for jarchie at [my tumblr](http://punk-rock-yuppie.tumblr.com/ask)!


End file.
